Welcome to the International Kiteboarding Association

Our Vision

To grow, evolve and promote the sport of kiteboarding across the globe and across all disciplines.

For more information please also visit our topic specific websites:

Formula Kite

The Formula Kite class is a high performance hydrofoiling class using regulated series registered production equipment freely available.

For Regional Games and a possible inclusion in the Olympic Games, one hydrofoil model and one kite model will be selected for a plain level playing field and to avoid an arms race.

KiteFoil GoldCup

The KiteFoil class is a full development class with minimal equipment limitation, allowing brands to test the latest equipment on the market.

The GoldCup tour is the sports premium event series with events all around the world and a strong focus on media production and prize money level.

Slalom

Slalom on TT:R (TwinTip boards) has been selected as the discipline and equipment for the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos Aires.

The focus of this high-octane discipline is on equipment handling and technique and includes reaching starts, reaching courses, and obstacels to jump.

Expression

The Expression Disciplines currently include Freestyle, Big Air, Wave Riding, Strapless Freestyle and Park. Competition is judged on difficulty and execution rather than "first past the post".

World Sailing, IKA and GKA have agreed to share the responsibilities for the Expression Disciplines with the Open World Titles awarded through professional tours.

Youth Olympics

Kiteboarding has been included in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games with a boardercross event on IKA TwinTip:Racing equipment, for boys and girls born between 2000 and 2003.

Have a look here to learn more about equipment limitations, formats and qualification opportunities.

Olympic and Regional Games

The IKA continues to campaign for an inclusion of kiteboarding in the 2020 Tokyo Games and several Regional Games on One Design Kitefoiling Equipment.

The Formula Kite class is the only afforadable solution for emerging and developing nations to compete in high performance classes and ticks all boxes of the IOC requirements, especially for youth and media appeal.

There are rumors that ISAF has received 65 or more submissions for the events of the 2016 Olympic Games. The battle is expected to be in two areas - the keelboat lobby against the dinghy lobby, and the question what happens with the two board sports that foolishly have been pitched against each other in the provisional November slate.

Having available only 10 events for a minimum of 15 rivaling classes means that some creative thinking is necessary to resolve the problem. So lets have a look on what a mixed event in a single handed class could look like...

The first option is a team event - e.g. a male and a female competitor of each country competing for a nations medal. Racing could take place on standard courses, be it windward/leeward courses, with men and women starting together or in separate starts. In other words, something that we are doing everyday already on the water with the only difference, that the results of the mens and womens races are added up and combined into one nations ranking. Other racing formats like slalom could be implemented in the same way, and only the scoring makes these two events into one combined medal.

The second, probably even more attractive option, would be a "mixed relay" - something really new and innovative that could please media and IOC very much. Lets think a bit outside the box - relay events are being done in many other Olympic sports, and several of them are mixed (the latest addition will be mixed biathlon relay in the next winter Olympics). Why not have something similar in Sailing ?

The main issue could be the "tagging" zone, but even this "problem" can easily be turned into a strength, which could become a crowd and media pleaser, e.g. having the transition area on the beach, directly in front of the "beach stadium". Or, having the transition zone on the water close to the beach, so that the spectators can breath the action.

Surely a "team event" could be an issue regarding the athlete quota - but again, the Olympic Games are the FINAL, and the qualification is taking place in the Sailing World Cup and the Sailing World Championships. Reducing the fleet to the e.g. worlds top 16 teams means strengthening the importance of the Q-events, something that perfectly fits into ISAFs agenda and therefore would have a very desirable result.

A team event - be it in the format of traditional team racing and combining results, or in the format of a relay race - would surely add another piece of diversity to the Olympic Sailing Competition. Don't miss this chance to allow both board disciplines, kiteboarding and windsurfing, to be presented at the Olympic Games.